Gilbert Isbin is a composer, improviser, lutenist and guitarist residing in Brugge, Belgium.

He performs regularly as a soloist and with groups he co-leads, performing his original music. His compositional and performing style defies genre, blending elements of contemporary classical music, modern jazz and improvisation.

“Benoît SAUVÉ, a self taught musician, has been practising the recorder since he was eight. He first takes a keen interest in Rock and Celtic music.

When he is a teenager, he discovers Jazz and is seized by a compulsive desire to study it.

Considered as one of the very rare recorder players in Jazz, he can be heard in the biggest festivals and theatres. Lately, he was heard with Jean Jacques MILTEAU at the "Olympia" (a Famous theatre in Paris) or with the "Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses" at "Le Bataclan" (another Famous theatre in Paris).

He combines virtuosity, musicality, the sense of improvisation and the incredible ability to tackle the most different sorts of music. He is regularly invited in recording studios and he takes part in the recording of lots of CDs for various artists (Catherine Lara ,Graal ,Georgian Legend ..).
His own technique and art bring the recorder in a new dimension and induces us to reconsider his place in the present musical scene.“

“Founded in 2004, the ensemble works on harpsichord music of the 20th century, particularly Italian. It focuses on music ranging from the early 20th century to the avant-garde, right up to works composed today.

Novecembalo has worked with important contemporary musicians, including Enzo Porta, Dario Intrigo, Mariolina De Robertis and is currently studying under Annamaria Morini and Annelie De Man (Holland).

"ANNELIE DE MAN studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Janny van Wering and Bob van Asperen. After devoting herself to Baroque music for several years, she turned to the performance of contemporary music and stimulated composers, both at home and from abroad, to write for her. One of the first was Dutch composer Louis Andriessen with "Overture to Orpheus" (1982).

Annelie de Man plays a double-manual instrument built in 1978 by Theo de Haas and redecorated by Frisian graphic artist Sies Bleeker in 1987. It features on the cover of "Harpsichord and clavichord music of the twentieth century" by Frances Bedford (published in 1993 by Fallen Leaf Press, Ca/USA).

As professor of contemporary harpsichord music at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, she teaches students from all over the world. She gave masterclasses and lectures a.o. at conservatories and universities in The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland , Russia (Tsjaikovski Conservatorium Moscow) and Canada. In 1994 she collaborated with Music Centre "De IJsbreker" in organizing the International Harpsichord Week in Amsterdam and in 1997 she was on the jury of the International Gaudeamus Young Interpreters Competition. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“Harpsichordist Goska Isphording specializes in the performance of contemporary music. She gives solo recitals and performs with chamber music ensembles and orchestras. She is also active in music theatre and multimedia productions and has premiered numerous solo and chamber music works.

Goska Isphording was born in Poland, where she started her Early Music harpsichord study at the Krakow Academy of Music, and graduated cum laude in 1998. In 2001 she obtained her diploma at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (The Netherlands) where she studied with Patrick Ayrton.

Her interest in contemporary art led her to follow the Masters program in contemporary harpsichord techniques with Annelie de Man at the Conservatory in Amsterdam. During this period she also worked with Elisabeth Chojnacka at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Goska Isphording was awarded prizes at renowned contemporary music competitions.

She won the first prize as a soloist at the Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition of Contemporary Music 2002 ( Krakow / Poland ). Together with recorder player Karolina Bäter she received the first prize in the duo category at the same competition and in 2003 the 4th place at The International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition ( Rotterdam / The Netherlands).

Her performances in the Netherlands and other European countries brought her in contact with young composers resulting in numerous pieces being written for her.“

“Karin Preslmayr studied blokflute with Carin van Heerden, violoncello and viola da gamba with Ulrike Kinast at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria. After having done the final exam with distinction, she continued studying viola da gamba with Mieneke van der Velden and blokflute with Walter van Hauwe at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. In 1999 she was awarded 9 points (of 10) for the final recital of this postgraduate course. Afterwards she took lessons with Wieland Kuijken at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
While studying Karin Preslmayr got more and more interested in contemporary music, especially in music written for ‘old’ instruments like the viola da gamba. In order to deepen her knowledge and develope a contemporary kind of viola da gamba playing she decided to follow a second phase (masters) study on this item at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, working with and taking courses from various specialists on contemporary music on different instruments.
In 2003 she graduated ‘cum laude’, playing a concert with new pieces mostly written for her.

She is specializing in contemporary music on the viola da gamba, searching for new music, developing playing techniques, working with composers and performing soloistic as well as in ensembles. As such she is playing in trio ‘The Roentgen Connection’ (blokflute, harpsichord, viola da gamba), the Axyz Ensemble (interpretation of western contemporary music through non western techniques) and Ziggurat (founded and led by Theo Loevendie). In the Holland Festival 2004 she was part of the Atlas ensemble.

Karin Preslmayr has perfomed in concerts and festivals in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Austria, Germany and Mexico.“

“The modern harpsichord, The harpsichord as we know it today, has inspired the greatest composers of the 20th century. They have given the modern harpsichord an extraordinarily rich repertoire. They have brought a new image to the modern harpsichord. Leaving its former reputation far behind, casting off the weight of tradition and using the ideas, technology and techniques of today, they have been totally free to discover the potential and the rich expressiveness of this old instrument, as never imagined before. ..“

"Elaine Funaro is regarded as one of the leading performers of new music for the harpsichord, yet her repertoire spans the entire history of the instrument, from a recording of Baroque music on a Kirckman harpsichord made in 1758 to numerous premieres of late 20th-century contemporary works. Her commitment to showcasing both old and new unexplored repertoire of harpsichord music includes compositions by women and those based on indigenous musical forms from South America, South Africa and Japan.

In addition to performing at the international Early Music Festivals in Amherst, Amsterdam, Berkeley, Boston, and Bloomington, she has been featured in solo recitals at the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. She recently recorded 3 premieres for the ABC Radio in Melbourne.

Ms. Funaro studied at Oberlin College, the New England Conservatory of Music, Il Conservatorio Cherubini in Florence, Italy, and the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. Her teachers have included Gustav Leonhardt, Tom Koopman, John Gibbons and Lisa Crawford.

Active in the community of keyboard artists, she is a past president of the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society and is the director of the Aliénor Harpsichord Composition Competition. She has recorded for the Centaur, Gasparo and Wildboar labels. " See website for more information. (ed.)